One of my friends is working in water treatment to remove phosphates and nitrates. He is specifically looking for information on typical flowrates in a wastewater treatment plant, the compositions of phosphates and nitrates in each stage . Can someone direct me to sources of such data?
This can be a rather broad reply as the type of process to be contemplated is not disclosed
you have biological removal processes that can reduce N and P through organic biological activity under specific applied conditions and you can source chemical and physical treatment process for inorganic water treatment streams, this may be chemical precipitation, membranes, ion exchange to mention a few
both have numerous references in the market, as mentioned previously Metcalf and Eddy is a good printed version
you can find other references through the IWA publications and others as well
bottom line, you need to understand the characteristics of the incoming water and quality and quantity, then select your target treated water quality objectives and then identify the type of process to deploy and design it accordingly
Data for any individual plant should be measured and determined locally. Using general figures (e.g. from "Wastewater Engineering" by Metcalf & Eddy) will give your friend a good ballpark from which to start, but there really is no substitute for good, local, data collection.
Regarding the estimate of wastewater strength and generation rates, just do an internet search on that topic.
Also consider that phosphates and nitrates are plant nutrients. When they are found in wastewater, they are a resource that is simply out of place. Depending on your location and other factors, land treatment, artificial wetlands and lagoon treatment options are low technology and simple to operate. Land treatment, that is using the wastewater to irrigate crops, beneficially uses the nitrates and phosphates to fertilize and water crops which can be harvested and sold. The proceeds from crop sales further defray the cost of treatment. Water quality effluent from land treatment systems is equivalent to advanced waste treatment technologies. There are many sustainable, low energy options available using natural systems to treat wastewater containing nitrates and phosphates. I encourage you to look into them.
The choice of the method of tertiary treatment of municipal wastewater from phosphates and nitrates depends on their concentration, the volume of wastewater, their used, etc. For small volumes of wastewater and their reused can be effective tertiary treatment on filters with affordable universal mineral sorbents possessing catalytic, oxidizing, reducing and bactericidal properties. Information and consultations about used of such sorbents are paid services.
If you are looking for removal of nutrients (phosphate and nitrate) in wastewater, without use of chemicals, then there are few proven process for Biological Nutrient Removal like A2O (AAO), 5 stage Bardenpho etc. There are some patented process also for BNR and enough literature is available in public domain for the same.
we use phycoremediation to remove phosphates, nitrates, and any other pollutants without use of any chemicals. If interested write to me at arkgreensolutions@gmail.com
The answer is going to depend on what the characteristics of the influent are and what you are trying to achieve. We have biological processes that reduce these very low based on the discharge requirements but that may not be necessary at your friend's location.